Victor drained his coffee cup. “I have an errand to run near here. I’ll be back by five to take you home or maybe out to do something fun since you hid at home all weekend.”I glanced at the clock. “That sounds good. I have a meeting in ten minutes, but it should be wrapped up in a half hour.”I didn’t tell Victor any details about this meeting because I wanted him to be surprised when I pulled off a great deal for the company. I found someone in need of an investor for a profitable venture.“See you soon,” Victor said as he headed for the elevators.Soon after he left, a young Alpha named Ronald Shoup arrived. The receptionist showed him into my office and brought us coffee and water before returning to her desk.Ronald and I at a party a few weeks ago when he made me the offer, and he followed up with a meeting last week here in my office.“Did you have the contract drawn up?” I asked. I didn’t want to sound overly eager, but closing my first big deal was exciting.I wanted to exami
I wanted to run forever.Running through the high grasses or tracking small creatures in the woods kept me from thinking about Amy and my near humiliation at the hands of the parasite.For hours, Victor and I and our wolves enjoyed each other’s company and the joy of being a part of nature without any conversation to distract us.It was well after dark when we raced one last time around the field before leaping into the pagoda pond to cool off.Victor's wolf followed me into the water, and we paddled around until Victor suddenly shifted human.“What time is it?” he asked. “I’m starving.”When I didn’t answer, he swam closer, and I shifted too.“Daisy, don’t feel bad about what happened with the parasite,” Victor said. “But you need to trust your instincts more. Stop doubting yourself and start doubting strangers instead.”“I won’t be trusting anybody again,” I assured him. “Ronald cured me of that.”“There are plenty of people you can trust in this world,” Victor assured me. “Don’t le
When Amy wasn’t sitting on our bench again the following morning, I went looking for her.I walked down the front of the building, checking for her in each group of students standing around, talking and laughing as they prepared themselves for the school day.Next, I went inside and checked the cafeteria and the library. When I had no luck in either place, I went to her locker. But she wasn’t there either.I found her sitting in her homeroom with her head on the desk, cradled in her arms.I wanted to go into the room and talk to her, but the teacher was there, and he didn’t tolerate students talking in his classroom unless he called upon them.It was the perfect place for Amy to avoid talking to me.Still, I wasn’t going to give up. I knew enough about Amy’s school day to find a place to talk to her.Amy beat me to math class, and the teacher scolded me when I didn’t take my seat immediately. But I was ready after the bell rang, and I followed her out the door, through the hallway, an
A few days later, I had six tickets to the progressive dinner in my hand. When Joe picked me up in the limo to take me home, I had him swing by Gray’s restaurant.Amy was alone in the kitchen, cleaning the floor. When she saw me, she turned her back and leaned on the mop. I hated how her shoulders slumped like she had lost all hope.“Amy, the progressive dinner is next Friday night,” I said. “It was your idea, and you should be there.”She didn’t move or answer me. She seemed to be barely breathing.“I brought tickets for you and your Dad.” I held the tickets over her shoulder so she could see them.But she wouldn’t take them from me.Instead, she turned around and looked at me with pain in her eyes. I realized then that she missed me as much as I missed her.But her expression told me it wasn’t enough to bring us back together.“Why would I want to go to a dinner to be humiliated by Alphas again?” she asked. Her voice was calm, but her eyes told a different story.“I would never let
The reporter was astounded by my revelation and struggled to think of her next question. “I heard you tell people it wasn’t your idea, but were you serious? A friend really gave you the idea for this progressive dinner?”“Yes, my best friend since we were very young,” I confirmed. “Her name is Amy.”“Is Amy here tonight?” the reporter asked as the restaurant went silent. “We would love to talk to her about how she got the idea for the dinner.”“No. She wouldn’t come. She was afraid to attend the dinner because of an incident at a party a short time ago,” I revealed.The reporter leaned closer. “Will you tell us about the incident? What made your friend afraid to attend this remarkable dinner that was her idea?”I looked into the camera. “Since my life has changed and has become more complicated, we couldn’t see each other as much as we would have liked.”I hoped I was doing the right thing and continued. I needed everyone to know the truth about the situation and what happened to Amy.
Amy watched my speech on the ten o’clock news.She texted me with a single heart emoji and a short message. “Fantastic speech. You’re going in the right direction.”I reread the text many times and thought about the things she said to me and how I had changed.Amy had been right about the new me. I became caught up in my Alpha life and forgot who I was and where I came from.But now, I was determined to combine the new me with the old me to create an unstoppable force to help make the world a better place for everyone.Over the following week, my goal to become a person I respected became the most important thing in my life.Instead of thinking of ways to solely make a profit, I began looking for solutions to problems plaguing the Beta and Omega population.They had more problems than bullying. They were taken advantage of and kept under the control of Alphas by the lack of education, information, and opportunities.And when someone believed they would only have misery and hard work i
Victor’s POV“I’m too tired to keep working,” Alex told me. “You need to take over as leader of the association soon.”“I thought you were feeling better,” I said. Daisy would be crushed if Alex was failing again.“I’m not cured, Victor, just in remission,” Alex sighed. “Please try to understand that I want to take it easy and do as I please for the rest of whatever time I have left.”There it was. I couldn’t delay it any longer. To refuse was unthinkable. My agreement with Daisy was coming to an end.“When?” I asked.“As soon as possible,” Alex replied.“I need a week to clear my schedule,” I said. I wanted to be there for Daisy while she got her project cleared by the board of directors. It meant a great deal to her. I wanted to help encourage her to make the project a reality.“Very good,” Alex agreed. “We’ll do it next Tuesday.”“Alex, please don’t say anything to Daisy just yet,” I requested. “She has an important project she’s trying to get off the ground, and I don’t want anyth
Victor arrived at my office the next afternoon before I expected him to be there. But I was happy to see him. His help with the report was invaluable.The report was coming together way ahead of schedule, and the research was revealing the data and numbers I was hoping it would show. The team I selected was doing a great job.“This is an amazing report,” Victor said. “You should be proud, Daisy. You should be ready to present it to the board on Monday.”“I would like you to be there,” I said. “You give me extra confidence.”Victor grinned. “That’s good to hear. And I would be glad to be there to watch you persuade them to let you start the project.”I sent the meeting request to each board member, asking them to be present in the conference room on Monday afternoon at one p.m.“I can’t wait, but I’m nervous too,” I told Victor.“That’s understandable,” Victor said. “You need to unwind before then. You know, have a little R and R. You deserve some fun.”“What did you have in mind, a ru
I woke to the enticing scent of dark roast coffee. I stretched and realized I had slept more than I thought I would that previous night. The smell of coffee grew stronger, and I felt steam on my nose.Opening my eyes, I saw Amy standing over me, waving a mug under my nose. “Wakey wakey,” she crooned. “It’s your wedding day. Victor expects to see you at the chapel in two hours.”I reached for the mug and took a sip. The coffee was laced with dark chocolate almond milk and a touch of steamed heavy cream.“Mmm, thanks, Amy. It’s just the way I like it,” I said. “This is such a treat.” I stretched again and took another sip.“Enjoy it, but don’t dawdle in bed,” Amy put her makeup bag on the nightstand. “You need to get in the shower and wash your hair. Anna will be here to help us soon.”After waiting for this day to come for so long, I was both ecstatic and a little nervous that something would go wrong.“Is it really going to happen?” I asked my best friend. “Am I really going to be his
Kayla kept her word. The estate that we named Juniper Acres because of the dozens of Juniper trees on the grounds became ours a few days after my talk with her.I liked the small trees. They had a pleasant, fresh, and woodsy scent, and the blue/ green berries were pretty and had many uses.Besides making arrangements for our wedding, Victor and I spent the last three weeks getting our mansion ready for us to move in. It was a labor of love, knowing it was all ours.We painted some of the rooms in different colors that we preferred. I especially liked the shade of yellow that we painted our breakfast room.Like Alex’s mansion, our breakfast room had many windows facing east for plenty of natural sunlight. We would enjoy our mornings together, enjoying our first cup of coffee in the room.The living room now had comfy, overstuffed furniture in light blue and walnut. The carpets and drapes were neutral colors that set off the polished wooden floors.It was an inviting room. I looked forw
Victor called the realtor while I stood beside him with my fingers crossed. There had to be a way to fix the snag, whatever it was. The estate was perfect for us. We couldn’t lose it.I heard the realtor’s voice when she answered his call. “Victor, I’m sorry for giving you bad news.”“What’s the problem?” Victor asked. His voice was calm, but I saw the tension on his face.“The current owners of the Juniper Lane estate are two granddaughters of previous deceased owners. One of the young women refuses to sell to Miss Wilson.”Puzzled, Victor and I looked at each other.“Why?” Victor asked.“She claims Miss Wilson did something to cause her problems in the past,” the realtor responded. “I can’t change her mind. She refuses to sign the papers to finalize the sale.“Does she know the size of the offer we made?” Victor asked as I searched my memory for the identity of the granddaughter.But I couldn’t think of who I had angered that much. I shrugged at Victor and did a palms up.“Who is sh
“I’m sorry,” I said and knelt down to pick up the pieces of broken glass.“That’s alright, Miss Wilson,” Benson said. “Thomas will take care of the mess.” He motioned to a footman. “Let me get you another glass of tea.”“Are you okay, Daisy?” Cassidy asked. “We shouldn’t have shocked you with the news in front of guests.”I shook my head and tried to smile. “No, I’m fine. I was just surprised. Congratulations. I’m happy for both of you.” But was I? I had been an only child since Alex found me.Even though I knew Alex would continue to love me, my only experience with having a sibling wasn’t a positive one. Andrea enjoyed making my life miserable.So, I wasn’t sure how I felt about having a half-sister or brother. However, I was sure Alex and Cassidy wouldn’t treat me like the Smiths, and I’m optimistic the baby wouldn’t be like Andrea.But what would change in my life?“Are you sure, sweetheart?” Alex asked. He looked concerned, and even though I had been shocked, I didn’t want to spo
Victor’s POVDaisy was terrified. I could tell she was afraid her stutter would return. If she was scared enough, it could happen. She needed my love and support.I stepped forward to kiss her cheek and whispered in her ear, “No matter what, I love you. But you can do this. I’m right here with you. Pick one person in the crowd and talk to them.”Daisy gave me a weak smile, and I saw her take a deep, trembling breath. She looked out at the crowd of strange faces, and I knew the instant she saw someone she recognized.It was Amy, standing with Justin, William, and Penny among the sea of reporters. They must have heard about the press conference and come to support us. They were true friends.I sensed Daisy was relaxing, and she began to speak.“When I was seventeen, I worked in a restaurant owned by my best friend’s father. While waiting on customers and bussing tables, I dreamed of going to college and getting my law degree.“I wanted to use that degree to help the werewolf classes who
Victor and I freshened up while trying to think about what we wanted to say. Then we went back downstairs and watched the reporters and news anchors arrive outside the mansion.“There are so many,” I said. “I’ve never seen this many reporters at once before.”“They are coming from other cities to be here,” Shane said. “Your and Victor’s vision for the future is big news. There are rumors that Victor is going to quit the leadership, and you’re moving away from Denhurst.”Findlay snorted. “I heard that rumor, along with several crazier ones. I think the people need to be reassured of your good intentions for everyone.”“I can understand that,” Victor said. “How about you, Daisy?”All I could do was nod. I understood, but I was growing nervous about going out there in front of such a large crowd of reporters and photographers. There were so many. It was like a sea of people forming over the vast front lawn.My hands began to tremble when the estate staff began moving the temporary stage
I cried all the way back to the mansion. Amy remained silent, patting my arm occasionally and handing me tissues when I needed them.She pulled into the driveway and to the front entrance before she spoke.“It looks like Alex has company,” she said. “Who’s limos are they?”I punched the seat. “That one is Lana’s, and the one pulling in next to us is Lily James’s. The nerve of that pushy woman. She followed us!”“But look, Daisy,” Amy pointed toward the front doors. “Victor is here.”I wiped my eyes and saw Victor coming toward me. He opened the car door and took me into his arms.“Don’t cry, sweetheart,” he crooned. “Gisele called and told me what happened. So I had Findlay call everyone here for a quick meeting to set them all straight.”I stopped crying and nodded even though I wasn’t sure it would help.“This nonsense will stop now,” Victor took my hand and helped me from the car.We waited for Amy to put the baby in the stroller before going inside.I looked around the foyer, unab
Victor’s mouth opened, but no words came out at first. Then he shook off his surprise.“Are you serious?” he asked.“Yes, I’ve been thinking about it for weeks,” I replied.Why did Victor look so shocked? During the few times we had spoken about kids, he said he wanted a family.Tears stung my eyes, and I turned away from him. “Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up.”Victor gently turned me around. “I know you’ve been upset since Amy had the baby, but I didn’t know it was because you want one too.”“When I first held Brendre, I felt such a rush of love that it was all I could think about for days,” I explained. “I never thought much of babies before. I think it's because my adoptive parents rejected me when they had their own baby.”“That makes sense.” Victor took my hand and started walking down the beach again. “Anyone would feel that way.”“Holding Amy’s baby made me realize I very much want to be a mother,” I said. “And I don’t want to wait a long time to start our family.”“What a
Daisy’s POVI couldn't believe Victor was leaving. Couldn’t he stay with me at the beach house for just one day?An emptiness in the pit of my stomach started when he turned to leave. It grew after he went out the door. Through our bond, I felt his painful, churning emotions and wondered if he was finished with me.I couldn’t lose him! I’d return to Denhurst this minute and marry him in any ceremony his mother wanted. The only thing that really mattered about my wedding was Victor must be the groom.I had to stop him from leaving. I needed to know what was on his mind and in his heart.Running out the door after him, I saw him climb into his car and start the engine.“No!” I cried as I jumped in front of the Lamborghini. “Don’t leave me, Victor. I love you!”The Lamborghini’s engine stopped, and Victor leaped out of the driver’s seat. He hurried to my side.“Why won’t you stay with me?” I asked.“I thought you wanted to be here alone,” Victor replied. His body was trembling with emoti